Spooky season is upon us and there are spooky books for all kinds of readers – sci-fi lovers, puzzle-busters, folktale fanatics and more. Here are just a few recommendations from the My Book Corner shelves. Read on …if you dare!
The Skull by Jon Klassen
With its spooky vibes that are also sweet and charming, this story of a girl and a skull is in a category of its own. Klassen’s colour palette perfectly complements that dark but warm tones of this Tyrolean folk tale that sees brave Ottilia save both herself and the skull from the dangers of the dark forest – not least from the the skeleton who wants his skull back! The perfect halloween gift book.
Monster Support Group – The Mummy’s Curse by Laura Suárez
If you like your spooky books on the funny side of scary, this graphic novel is the one for you. Anatiti is a young, headstrong Egyptian Pharaoh who has been stuck between this world and the afterlife for over 3000 years. No wonder she needs a support group! The illustrations are full of deliciously dreadful details that tell us more about ancient Egyptian customs and beliefs. A brilliant story with powerful message about the importance of being able to listen and take advice – even if you are the ruler of Egypt!
The Wrath of The Blob by Dashe Roberts
Is being trapped in an enormous impenetrable blob scary enough for you? What about the prospect of a total wipe-out of life on Earth? It’s halloween for sci-fi aficionados too, after all, and this electrifying action-packed mystery is as chilling as it is thrilling. This, sadly, is the last book in Dashe Robert’s totally epic sci-fi series, so it’s perhaps with more ‘Boo Hoo’ than ‘Boo!’ that we’ll be saying goodbye to the inimitable Lucy Sladan and friends.
The Terror Of Hilltop House by Dan Smith
There are more gelatinous conundrums in this dyslexia-friendly mystery by Dan Smith. Melting sheep? Ectoplasm? Mysterious lights at creepy Hilltop House? Sounds like a job for Nancy, Krish and Pete. I love the dynamics of this clever mystery-busting trio, and the author does a brilliant job of keeping tensions high as they investigate a terrifying research unit called the Vault, and the unnatural meat-eating plants being engineered there! All this *and* it’s dyslexia-friendly!
The House Trap by Emma Read
A clever twist on haunted house tales, there are jump scares aplenty in this escape-room-esque story, which is perfectly pitched for kids who love puzzles. But whether characters Delilah, Sam, Claude and Amity like them or not, they’ll have to solve them if they ever want to get out of the mysterious house, which is able to rearrange itself like a giant Rubik’s cube! Definitely one to read with the switch to the Big Light close at hand.
